MU Study on Bone Health

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COLUMBIA — A study by an MU researcher shows men may be able to prevent osteoporosis depending on the way they exercise.

Pamela Hinton, an associate professor at MU, found that weight-bearing and various jumping exercises decrease production of a protein that can cause osteoporosis.

The study followed men ages 25-60 who already showed had low-bone masses. Half of the group performed resistance training while the others performed jumping exercises.

“We saw a decrease in the level of sclerostin in both of these exercise interventions in men,” Hinton said. “When sclerostin is expressed at high levels, it has a negative impact on bone formation. In both resistance and jump training, the level of sclerostin in the bone goes down, which triggers bone formation.”

Hinton says while you should still exercise to improve overall health with exercises such as cardio cycling and swimming but you should also exercise to target bone health.

According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation osteoporosis affects over 200 million people worldwide and Hinton says 2 million of them are men.

"The consequences of fracture in men are worse than for women," Hinton said, "So it is a serious health public health problem for men."

Hinton said that although osteoporosis may not show up until later in life men can prevent it early by completing the right exercises and being knowledgeable about osteoporosis.

"Getting to share our research with the public is a really good way to spread the word." Hinton said.